Deputy Speaker Advocates Police Reforms Amidst Worsening Insecurity

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, has called for far-reaching police reforms, saying the country’s centralised policing system can no longer cope with worsening insecurity.

Addressing lawmakers during a plenary debate on national security, Mr Kalu said Nigeria is facing “multidimensional” threats, including indiscriminate kidnappings, banditry and insurgent activities across several states.

He urged Parliament to strengthen police funding and allow the creation of state and local government police structures.

He said Nigeria’s security laws are strong but poorly implemented, blaming weak institutions, inadequate funding and a disconnect between policy and execution.

Mr Kalu listed recent attacks including school kidnappings in Kebbi, the abduction of worshippers in Zamfara and the kidnapping of Catholic priests in Anambra as evidence of a deteriorating situation.

He also warned that some armed groups are now exercising administrative control in parts of Zamfara, collecting community “taxes” and operating parallel governance systems.

On international concerns, he noted Nigeria’s designation by the United States as a country of particular concern on religious freedom, saying proposed American legislation could lead to sanctions targeting some northern officials.

The deputy speaker said the Nigerian Police Force suffers from centralised command, chronic underfunding and weak accountability, with poor oversight of state-level and private donations.

He argued that unpredictable and opaque funding has led to operational paralysis.

He also criticised unstructured ransom negotiations and amnesty deals with armed groups, saying they encouraged further violence.

The deputy speaker called for legislation to prohibit ransom payments by government entities.

Mr Kalu said many lawmakers now agree that policing should be decentralised, whether through state, community, or local government police.

However, he stressed that reforms must be carefully sequenced to avoid replicating dysfunction at lower levels of government.
“State police is not a magic solution,” he told colleagues. “But it is a necessary step in strengthening our federal structure.”

He added that while military equipment such as drones and jets remains important, lasting security will depend on accountable policing, transparent funding, and an effective justice system.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji